Exercise to Lose Chest Fat for Men

by
ASHLEY FARLEY Last Updated: Jun 29, 2015

Ashley Farley

Ashley Farley has been a certified personal trainer since 2008. She is also a writer specializing in healthy living, fitness and nutrition topics. Farley has an Associate of Science in mental health services from the Community College of the Air Force and is pursuing her B.A. in English at Wright State University.

A man is bench pressing.Photo Credit Ibrakovic/iStock/Getty Images

As a man you may want to have lean, sculpted muscles that let you rip off your shirt without any hesitation. When you start to gain excess body fat you might find that it shows up in your chest and gives you man breasts. Through exercise you can reduce your body fat levels, increase your lean muscle mass and build a sculpted chest. Use daily cardio exercise combined with two to three strength training sessions per week to see results.

Cardio for Fat Loss

Cardio exercise is the foundation for any weight-loss program. You can't target fat loss from your chest, but you can use cardio to burn calories and reduce all of your body fat. Use high-intensity cardio exercises to get the most out of your workouts. At high intensity your body burns more calories and loses more body fat than when you exercise at a low- to moderate-intensity level. Alternate between a few types of cardio exercises to keep your workouts interesting and to avoid hitting a weight-loss plateau. The American Council on Exercise recommends mountain biking, water sports, martial arts, hiking and boxing as effective fat-burning exercises. Other effective cardio exercises include running, skiing, team sports -- like basketball and football -- and cycling.

Dumbbell Fly

The dumbbell fly can be performed on a weight bench or an exercise ball. The dumbbell fly targets your entire chest, along with your stomach muscles. Start on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your knees. Hold the weights directly over the center of your chest with your arms straight. Place a small bend in your elbows to avoid locking your arms. Slowly lower the weights to the sides of your body until your arms are even with your chest and parallel to the floor. Lift the weights back upward and repeat until you can no longer complete a full repetition. Use weights that are heavy enough to make six to eight repetitions challenging.

Inchworm Your Way to a Slimmer Chest

Inchworms exercises use your body weight to strengthen your chest muscles. Start in a standing position with your feet together and your hands at your sides. Bend only at your waist, while keeping a slight crease in your knees, and touch the floor with your hands. Slowly walk your hands away from your body until your back is in a straight line. Once you are in this position, perform one full push-up. Walk your feet in toward your hands until your body creates an upside down “V.” Start the exercise over by walking your hands outward again and performing another push-up. Continue doing inchworms until your muscles fatigue.

Bench Press Exercise

The bench press can be performed using a barbell with added weight plates or with two dumbbells. This exercise starts in the same position as the dumbbell fly, on your back on a flat surface. Face your palms away from your body and position your hands over your shoulders. Bend your arms and lower the weight until it almost touches your chest, then press back upward. Continue exercising until you reach muscle failure.